Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



,B. F; JOSLYN. Breech-wading Fire-Arm.

Patented June 20, 1865.

Inventor:

Witnesses:

WAS

m s u a m n UNITED STATES BENJN. F. JOSLYN, OF STONINGION, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 45,288, dated June 20, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, B. F. Jos YN, of Stonington,Connecticut, have invented certain Improvements in Breech Loading Fire Arms 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of breech-loadin g fire-arms in which a breech-piece contained in an opening in the frame is so hinged to the latter that when the said breech-piece is elevated it closes the rear of the barrel, and when depressed it exposes the bore; and my improvements consist in a triggerguard lever and a springpin\or its equivalent so combined with the hinged breechpiece and arranged in respect to the frame that by the operation of the said lever the breechpiece can be unlocked, lowered, and raised and locked to the frame.

My improvements further consist in the peculiar combination ofthe said breech-piece with a supplementary hammer.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention,I willnow proceed to describeits construction and operation.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of sufficient of a breech loading fire-arm to illustrate my improvements Fig. 2, the same, showing the exterior of the supplementary hammer and trigger-guard lever; Fig. 3, a transverse section on the line 1 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a transverse section on the 'line3 4, Fig. 1; and Fig. 5, a

'plan view.

Similar lettersreferto similar parts throughout the several views.

A is the frame, and B part of the barrel, of the fire-arm, an opening being out through the frame, near the rear end of the barrel, for the reception of the breech-piece D, the supplementary hammer E, and part of the triggerguard lever G. The breech-piece is hinged to the frame by means of thepin a, and is of the formrepresented, the straightface w of the said breech-piece fitting, when the latter is elevated, against the rear end of the barrel, as seen in Fig. 1, and the rounded edge y being in close proximity to the projectionb ofthe frame. At

the rearot' the breech-piece is a rounded projection, d, to which the curved arm or lever G is hinged by means of a pin, 6. This'lever has an angular projection, f, which, when the breech -piece has been elevated, fits into an angular recess, h, formed in the frame. (See Fig. 2.) A pin, 2', on thebreech-piece projects through a slot in the supplementary hammer E, so that although the said hammer moves with the breech-piece: it has a limited independent movement forward when struck at the point at by the usual hammer, in which case the supplemetary hammer strikes the flange ofthe metallic cartridgeH near the edge of the same.

In the trigger-guard lever G is an orifice for the reception of a pin, a, which is acted on by a spring, 12, and which has a rounded end arranged to fit into a recess, q, in the rounded projection d of the breech-piece.

In an openingin the frame beneath the barrel a rod, I, is arranged to slide longitudinally, the rod having an elongated slot, through which, as well as through the frame, passes a pin, which serves the double purpose of limiting the movement of the rod and preventing it frpm turning. The said rod is provided with a head, 20, the upper end of which is notched to receive a portion of the flange of the metall-ic cartridge h, the lower end being acted on by a projection on the breech-piece, under the circumstances described hereinafter.

As the hammer, lock, and trigger used in connection with the above described devices are of the usual construction, it has not been deemed necessary to illustrate and describe them. Itmay be remarked, however, that the trigger is so situated that the lever G, when elevated, will act as its guard.

As seen in Fig. l, the breech-piece is firmly locked to the rear of the barrel by the angular projection f of the lever G, and the fire-arm is in a condition to be discharged, which is effected by the release of the ordinary hammer, the latter striking the point m of the supple mentary hammer E, and causing the same to strike the flange of the metallic cartridge. When the firearm has to be reloaded the le ver G is depressed and moved forward. When it has reached the position shown by redli'nes, Fig. l, the angular projection f hasbeen with drawn from the recess h of the frame, the

rounded portion 2 of the lever is in contact and coincides with the concave portion 3 of the breech-piece, which has hitherto remained stationary, but which is now unlocked, and the rounded end of the pin it has taken its place in the recess (1 of the breech-piece. On the leger G being pushed forward from the position shown byred lines, Fig. 1,to that seen in Fig. 2, the breech-piece and supplementary hammer will be turned on the pin a and assume the position shown in Fig. 2. In the meantime the projection v of the breech piece has been brought into contact with the head 20 of the rod I, thereby moving out the latter and withdrawing the case ofthe metallic cartridge so far from the bore of the barrel that it can be readily extracted by the finger and thumb. After the insertion of a new cartridge the lever G is moved back and raised to theposition shown in Fig. 1, carrying with it the breechpiece and supplementary hammer, for the reason that the end of the pin it fits into the recess q of the breech-piece. Before this backward and upward movement of the lever G has been completed the hreech-piece has been moved in contact with the rear of the barrel and has pushed the rod I and its head 10 back to the position shownin Fig. 1,so that on completing the upward movement ofthe lever it will turn on the pin 6, the rounded end of the pin n will escape from the recess 9, and the angular projection f of the lever will enter the angular recess h of the frame, thereby locking the breech-piece preparatory to the discharge of the cartridge.

It will now be seen, without further description, that by the above-described simple operation of the trigger guard lever G the breech piece can be moved away from the rear of the barrel, the spent cartridge case partly extracted, and the breech-piece moved forward to the rear of the barrel and locked to the frame.

I claim as my invention and desireto secure by Letters Patent- 1. The lever G and the spring-pin n, or its equivalent, in combination with the breechpiece D and its recess q, the whole being arranged and operating substantially as herein set forth.

2. The supplementary hammer E, combined and arranged to move with the breech-piece D and to operate on the cartridge, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI have signed myname to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

B. F. JOSLYN. Witnesses:

N. B. PALMER, 2d, WM. J. H. POLLARD. 

